15 Years Of London Design Festival

London Design Festival celebrates its fifteenth year in 2017, with an inspiring programme of events and installations, which will see the city transformed throughout 16-24 September.

As a citywide event, London Design Festival is an essential platform for the capital’s major tradeshows taking place across London, including: 100% Design, Decorex International, designjunction, Focus/17 and The London Design Fair (including Tent London & Super Brands). These shows feature work from a local and international network of both new and established exhibitors.

In 2017, there will be eight official Design Districts from East to West; North to South. Design Districts are areas where there are distinct concentrations of design activity and events that can be traversed easily on foot. Each District is organised locally and independently via the platform of London Design Festival. This year will see a new Design District, Mayfair, take part in the Festival. The Districts include Bankside Design District, Brompton Design District, Brixton Design Trail, Chelsea Deisgn Quarter, Clerkenwell Design Quarter, Islington Design District, Mayfair Design District, and Shoreditch Design Triangle.

Unlike many international design festivals, London Design Festival is a democratic festival – for Londoners and visitors, along with the design industry – with the immense production quite literally changing the landscape of the capital over the ten-day period. Here are some fun facts from 15 years Of London Design Festival:

– Police were almost called during the spectacular Chair Grab by Tom Dixon in 2006, when 500 polystyrene chairs by the designer were given away in Trafalgar

– Outrace by Kram/Weisshaar in 2010 featured eight Audi robots creating calligraphy from visitor’s text Because the technology depended on headlights, it had to run until midnight as messages were easier to view after sunset.

– When AL_A architects created Timber Wave outside the V&A in 2011, the piece was so challenging to install, the main entrance to the museum was shut for almost two days.

– It took over a year to convince St Paul’s Cathedral to allow John Pawson to install Perspectives in The installation was located in the Dean’s Staircase; the entrance to which hadn’t been opened to the public ever before.

– Endless Stair commissioned by AHEC (American Hardwood Export Council) was one of the Festival’s biggest attractions in The surreal architectural design even served as a stage for a performing brass band during its installation at the Tate Modern

– London Design Festival creates huge business for brands – over the last decade participating companies have generated over £313m in GVA.

– In 2015, Alex Chinneck installed an upside-down electricity pylon – A Bullet from a Shooting Star – on the Greenwich Peninsula. One of the Festival’s most ambitious projects to date, it incorporated 1,186 metres of steel and weighed 15

– This year, London Design Festival in collaboration with British Land, brings an architectural playground to the middle of Broadgate by London- based artist and designer, Camille The vibrant geometric installation, Villa Walala is designed as a light-hearted antidote to the straight-laced busy City, injecting a sense of playfulness into just another day at the office.